Ochoa 8A

In 1989, Cuban General Arnaldo Ochoa Sanchez was accused of running a drug ring and was summarily executed by a firing-squad. Documentarian Orlando Jimenez-Leal seeks to make sense of the trial and prosecution with Ochoa 8A, hoping to paint the general as an innocent man. Yet the film is essentially Court TV with high stakes. Mainly comprised of trial footage clips and over-the-top re-creations of actual events, Ochoa 8A reveals less of Ochoa's character and more about the elusiveness of truth. As each witness testifies, it becomes less clear who is lying, including Ochoa. Yet the film is fascinating and disturbing for its depiction of speedy Cuban court trials (it took, for example, only six days of litigation to give the death penalty to five high-ranking officials). While Leal's film doesn't perhaps accomplish its goal, it's a strong optional purchase nonetheless. (L. Russo)